Man found guilty of murder of woman walking dog

A wanted man who was on the run for two years has been found guilty of murdering a woman who was walking her dog last summer.

Anita Rose, 57, was found with serious injuries, akin to those seen in high-speed motor accidents, on a footpath in Brantham, Suffolk, on Wednesday, 24 July.

Ms Rose, whose dog Bruce had his lead wrapped around her leg when they were discovered, died at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, four days later.

Roy Barclay, 56, of no fixed address, denied killing her, but a jury at Ipswich Crown Court delivered its unanimous verdict after deliberating for about two and a half hours. He is due to be sentenced on 6 August.

Ms Rose was found on a track next to the London-Ipswich railway line, which overlooks the River Stour estuary.

Addressing Barclay, Judge Martyn Levett said: "You need to prepare yourself for a life sentence for the unnecessary killing of Anita Rose.

"It will be a lengthy sentence, and you need to prepare yourself for that."

Barclay was emotionless as the verdict was returned, but Ms Rose's partner of 11 years, Richard Jones, broke down in tears when he left the courtroom.

Mr Jones previously told the court how the last time he spoke to her was on the morning of her murder.

The lorry driver's final conversation with her ended with her saying: "OK babe, drive safe, I love you."

The trial heard he had been living in a makeshift camp in the area while "on the run" from police for two years.

On the day she was discovered, Ms Rose had was subjected to "numerous kicks, stamps and blows" to her face, head and body, according to prosecutors.

Barclay's DNA had been discovered on her jacket and on the earbuds of her headphones.

Prosecutors argued he also kept some of Ms Rose's belongings as trophies.

Barclay had been seen on CCTV in the Brantham area on the morning of the attack, something he accepted.

However, his defence questioned whether his presence was of "real significance" when it was in the area where he kept his clothing and possessions and somewhere that he visited regularly.

They similarly questioned why he would have kept her possessions after he had viewed Suffolk Police's social media pages and saw they were interested in finding her missing jacket and phone which were later recovered.

Barclay had previously been jailed for attacking an 82-year-old man in Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex 10 years ago.

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